this is easily the best thread going on the forum right now, peng. It's been a pleasure reading your thoughts,

There, fixed that for you...

Of course -- because so many of us have an investment in it. And since Steven seems to have abandoned his own competition that was spawned by peng's, it makes it all the more attentive.

Steven hasn't abandoned this thread, he posted that just just took a sabbatical.

Fri Jul 11, 2014 1:57 pm

JamesKunz

Critic

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:35 amPosts: 6252Location: Easton, MD

Re: Peng Does a Movie Competition Thread

Vexer wrote:

Steven hasn't abandoned this thread, he posted that just just took a sabbatical.

Only after I guilted him

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Fri Jul 11, 2014 2:30 pm

peng

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:42 pmPosts: 1362Location: Bangkok

Re: Peng Does a Movie Competition Thread

The HillSidney Lumet1965

JamesKunz

10/10

Damn, Mr. Kunz. Now I really need to see more Sidney Lumet. This and the previous four films I have seen from him (12 Angry Men, Network, Dog Day Afternoon, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) have two things in common: a group of actors often giving ones of their best performances, and ruthless economy in storytelling. The plot here just snaps and goes, all the while never forgetting to be nuanced, balanced and thought-provoking. It is set in a British army prison in North Africa during World War II, where five new prisoners have just arrived and may shake up the status quo of the camp's rigid, frequently sadistic way of treating the prisoners, including a torturous run on 'the hill.'

The film often reminds me of 12 Angry Men in the way it groups men together and explore their power dynamics when closed off from the rest of the world. The beautiful black-and-white here is apt for this tale, making the story feel as timeless as its themes. Lumet's direction masterfully probes the setting and their occupants, preferring long tracking shots and intense close-ups to display the place's authenticity and the men's deteriorating psyches. We can feel the sweat on both prisoners and guards alike, and each grueling punishment the former receive has a cumulative, wringing effect on the audience. It feels like we have lived through this place along with the characters.

At first, I hesitated a bit on giving this full score, doubting about its abrupt ending. However, the longer I ruminate on the film, the surer I feel the ending fits this story: in something as fickle as a power balance, sometimes the righteous can turn corrupted in a bitter instant.

Hottie factor: Apart from giving maybe his best performance, Sean Connery somehow looks even better than when he is being the suave Mr. Bond. Must be from seeming more human and such.

Damn, Mr. Kunz. Now I really need to see more Sidney Lumet. This and the previous four films I have seen from him (12 Angry Men, Network, Dog Day Afternoon, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) have two things in common: a group of actors often giving ones of their best performances, and ruthless economy in storytelling. The plot here just snaps and goes, all the while never forgetting to be nuanced, balanced and thought-provoking. It is set in a British army prison in North Africa during World War II, where five new prisoners have just arrived and may shake up the status quo of the camp's rigid, frequently sadistic way of treating the prisoners, including a torturous run on 'the hill.'

The film often reminds me of 12 Angry Men in the way it groups men together and explore their power dynamics when closed off from the rest of the world. The beautiful black-and-white here is apt for this tale, making the story feel as timeless as its themes. Lumet's direction masterfully probes the setting and their occupants, preferring long tracking shots and intense close-ups to display the place's authenticity and the men's deteriorating psyches. We can feel the sweat on both prisoners and guards alike, and each grueling punishment the former receive has a cumulative, wringing effect on the audience. It feels like we have lived through this place along with the characters.

At first, I hesitated a bit on giving this full score, doubting about its abrupt ending. However, the longer I ruminate on the film, the surer I feel the ending fits this story: in something as fickle as a power balance, sometimes the righteous can turn corrupted in a bitter instant.

Hottie factor: Apart from giving maybe his best performance, Sean Connery somehow looks even better than when he is being the suave Mr. Bond. Must be from seeming more human and such.

Yes! This is a movie I knew nothing about -- I was looking for more Lumet and the plot sounded interesting -- and then it ended up on my Top movies of the year. It's really quite a film, and I'm stoked you liked it so much.

Oh, and if you want another Lumet recommendation, Fail-Safe is fantastic.

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Fri Jul 11, 2014 9:43 pm

H.I. McDonough

Director

Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:09 pmPosts: 1310

Re: Peng Does a Movie Competition Thread

Wow. While I liked "The Hill," I don't think I'd go so far as to give it a perfect 10. Funny thing about Lumet is, he has one of the spottiest résumés of all highly revered filmmakers (he also directed "The Wiz," after all ) -- perhaps rivaled only by Woody Allen (the Woody of the last 20 years, at least) and Robert Altman (whose work has always been sort of an acquired taste in the first place ). "Serpico" remains my favorite film of his, though (followed closely by "Dog Day"). Also worth checking out (among those not yet mentioned) are "The Pawnbroker," "Equus," "Prince of the City" (sort of a 'Serpico: The Next Generation' ), and "The Verdict."

Fri Jul 11, 2014 10:16 pm

JamesKunz

Critic

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:35 amPosts: 6252Location: Easton, MD

Re: Peng Does a Movie Competition Thread

H.I. McDonough wrote:

Wow. While I liked "The Hill," I don't think I'd go so far as to give it a perfect 10. Funny thing about Lumet is, he has one of the spottiest résumés of all highly revered filmmakers (he also directed "The Wiz," after all ) -- perhaps rivaled only by Woody Allen (the Woody of the last 20 years, at least) and Robert Altman (whose work has always been sort of an acquired taste in the first place ). "Serpico" remains my favorite film of his, though (followed closely by "Dog Day"). Also worth checking out (among those not yet mentioned) are "The Pawnbroker," "Equus," "Prince of the City" (sort of a 'Serpico: The Next Generation' ), and "The Verdict."

While I don't disagree with you, I don't think he is a highly revered filmmaker. I think he's respected, but his lack of auteuriness prevents a lot of critics from truly embracing him.

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Fri Jul 11, 2014 10:30 pm

montparnasse

Assistant Second Unit Director

Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:42 pmPosts: 118

Re: Peng Does a Movie Competition Thread

Peng, since you are an Agatha Christie fan, Murder On the Orient Express by Lumet is a must-see.Albert Finney gives a great performance as Hercule Poirot. I believe Christie herself has said that Finney' s performance is the closest to her vision of Poirot.

Sat Jul 12, 2014 1:19 am

MunichMan

Assistant Second Unit Director

Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 6:34 amPosts: 159

Re: Peng Does a Movie Competition Thread

Wow! I definitely have to see this one. I can't think of a Lumet film that I've seen that wasn't great. Don't know how I missed this one. Great recommendation Mr. Kunz!

I haven't seen most of Lumet's classics. The only ones I've seen are 12 Angry Men and Dog Day Afternoon (both of which I loved), Guilty as Sin and Nights Falls on Manhattan (forgettable 90's thrillers as far as I recall), and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (which I also loved).

I only mildly liked Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. I'm not much for the story, but it has those two things characteristic of his films (acting and storytelling) that still make it a fun watch.

I bought the Orient Express film during one of my more obsessed Agatha Christie phases and somehow still have it unwatched, along with Death on the Nile. Maybe because I doubted then that it will make a good film. Now I know about its director and stars enough that I'll at least enjoy it for those, so I'll get to it one of these days

Sat Jul 12, 2014 12:46 pm

peng

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:42 pmPosts: 1362Location: Bangkok

Re: Peng Does a Movie Competition Thread

Mulholland DriveDavid Lynch2001

Thief12

10/10

In a way, I almost feel like I have a cheat sheet for this. When the film came out, I read a brief explanation of it in Thai and must have put that in the back of my mind, because when that turning-point moment came, I was disoriented by the style, but understood the meaning of it almost immediately. But even without that tidbit providing clarity, I would still have fallen in love with this film a great deal.

From the last Lynch I watched, Wild at Heart, it changed gear from colorful insanity to slowly building atmosphere of dread and mystery. And it works its charm and intrigue completely on me, because it provides two things that proves relatively more accessible compared to most other films with dream-logic narrative. One is that the backdrop of the film, Hollywood and its people, is the perfect material for this style, where the dream of glamor can often hides many layers of nightmarish despair. The emotional logic of the tale really works in this context. Another is the star-making turn by Naomi Watts, who provides the emotional gateway into this story. She commands our attention completely, and whatever layer we are watching the film operates in, she is always up to the task. It's quite a magnificent performance, one of the all-time bests in my mind.

Other than the lame-o British spelling, that sounds very interesting indeed. Not available on Flix de la Net though

The Offence is not as stellar as The Hill, but it's still very much worth seeing, with Connery giving one of his riskiest and best performances.

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Sat Jul 12, 2014 9:31 pm

Thief12

Assistant Director

Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 9:35 pmPosts: 809Location: Puerto Rico

Re: Peng Does a Movie Competition Thread

I'm glad you enjoyed Mulholland Drive so much, peng! To this day, it remains one of the most hauntingly beautiful films I've seen, probably anchored by the marvelous scene at Club Silencio. It's also one of few films I've seen only to put it back again immediately.

I'm glad you enjoyed Mulholland Drive so much, peng! To this day, it remains one of the most hauntingly beautiful films I've seen, probably anchored by the marvelous scene at Club Silencio. It's also one of few films I've seen only to put it back again immediately.

Agreed. A true work of art from a filmmaker at the very top of his game. Once you get caught up in its strange, dark, hypnotic web, it's actually hard to snap back to reality. One of the most memorable films I have ever seen.

Sun Jul 13, 2014 4:10 am

peng

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:42 pmPosts: 1362Location: Bangkok

Re: Peng Does a Movie Competition Thread

Mystery TrainJim Jarmusch1989

Jeff Wilder

8/10

This enchanting film, my second Jim Jarmusch, is an anthology, a structure that weirdly works both for and against it for me. Compared to the sustained charm of Only Lovers Left Alive, I can't help but be jarred out of the film's mood a little bit when it switches between stories, and some segments are better than the others (the middle one is good, but really lacking the first's eccentricity or the third's plain coolness). However, this structure also helps build a momentum that becomes stronger when considering the three tales together, with the unity between them weirdly being Elvis Presley and a gunshot. It may also have the least forced "everything is connected" in movies ever, which lends it a fairly resonating ending. The whole film is like that: unhurried, romantic, often funny. After two features of him, I am really liking Jim Jarmusch's effortlessness in conjuring up some of the best places in movies to be.

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